The Micro-Submersible Lake Exploration Device is a small, tubular device about the size of a baseball bat that took the unprecedented trip to the unexplored abyss earlier this month, under the guidance of researcher Alberto Behar from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Connected to a "mothership" by nearly a mile of cable, the sub was able to return a few images of the sub-glacial pool.

On top of images, the sub was also able to analyze the water down there and confirm that some particularly hearty bacteria is just hanging out. Some particularly hearty bacteria that might share common traits with particularly hearty extra-terrestrial life, if it exists.

The pictures aren't the clearest, but it's dark down there, after all. It just goes to show how much of our own blue marble we still haven't seen. Let's just hope they don't wake The Great Old Ones. [NASA via Geekosystem]